Bill tried to gasp for breath but his stomach muscles were cramped too badly. He vaguely understood that Lena was twisting his large body so that he lay flat on his back, the concrete floor cold on his neck.

He started to wheeze and she slammed her open palm into his nose, the back of his head beating against the hard stone. Then came a momentary flash of black and white stars and a ringing in his ears. Bill’s vision was a blur of dark computer screens and concrete flooring. The rain poured down loud on the roof. A clap of thunder sounded off outside.

Lena was rolling him and tying his hands and feet with something tight. He just needed a minute to rest. She had to stop. His head hurt so much. Bill didn’t understand what was going on. Lena seemed like a sweet girl. She had smiled and listened to his story. He didn’t understand why she hit him. Bill felt a trickle of blood rolling down the back of his head, where it hit the concrete. The cut must have been bad.

Lena stood over him and hissed, “Are you familiar with the blood choke? Your Marines call it that. I just adore the label.”

She pressed one foot into his chest, eyeing him like he was a prize deer she had just bagged. Her eyes were filled with a terrifying eagerness.

Bill lay on the ground, weak and not comprehending what was happening. He tried to get up but his head hurt, and Lena easily pressed his chest back down to the floor. His energy was gone and his head ached. Her hands crept over his neck. Bill instinctively tried to protect himself, but his hands and legs were tied up.

He watched as she crouched down over him, moving with the grace of a true predator. Her face got close enough that he could feel her breath. He couldn’t understand what was happening. The look in her eyes terrified him. Why was she doing this?

Lena whispered, “It’s alright. Just relax. Shhhh. Here’s what will happen. I’m going to squeeze your carotid arteries and stop the blood flow to your brain. It’s an extremely efficient technique. Much faster than cutting off the oxygen supply via your wind pipe. You’ll then go unconscious, and I’ll have to decide what to do with you. I may kill you. I am not quite ready to make that call. I need to think on it. But with any luck, you’ll wake up good as new under close supervision. Now, it’s time to sleep.”

His eyes bulged with fear. Her fingers tightened around his neck. She squeezed hard enough that it hurt. He felt the blood pressure around his face and neck begin to rise. He squirmed with all of his might, but she was incredibly strong and had too much leverage. Bill’s vision grew dark. It felt like she was choking him but he could still breath…he could still fight…he could…